Many people picture the life of a missionary as being full of jungle vines, screaming monkeys, and pith helmets; while others picture daily evangelistic services in which someone with a bone of some sort through their nose lays down their spear and converts to a life of calm biblical study while wearing khakis and a button up shirt.
My life is not like that, and I have to say that in spite of being a 3rd generation missionary, I don't know ANY missionaries who live that way. Maybe somewhere, but not here. My life is a lot more like yours...just hotter and with more bugs. Most missionaries live day to day, doing the little things faithfully and the best they can, so that others can come to know Christ...Not so different from you, eh? Granted, everything does take longer to do. For example, you want granola for breakfast, you stop in at Walmart (or wherever) and pick some up. I, on the other hand, spend one day grating and roasting coconut, another roasting groundnuts and bene seed and grinding the groundnuts into peanut butter with a hand-crank meat grinder, and then a third day mixing it all together and roasting it in a metal pot on coals. On the up side, I can literally say that I personally know where my food comes from and that it is all organic! :) Every day has it's challenges, just like yours, and every day is spent trying to live out Christ to those around us.
Yesterday we got to experience one of those moments when all that work bears fruit. Each student at the Bible School is required to do evangelistic outreach one night per week. Mr. Thuranka has really taken it seriously, and, in addition to his assigned night in the town of Boonbon, he has begun preaching there each Sunday morning as well. I am so impressed with his dedication and his vision for seeing others reached with the gospel. Sunday afternoon we were privileged to visit Boonbon for a baptism service in which 9 believers were baptized and we were taken to see the land that the chief has now given to the believers, inviting them to build a church on that land. Praise God!
These are the days to be treasured and celebrated. THIS is what it is all about...training people to reach their own people with the Gospel of Christ... and seeing them rejoice in the fruit of their labor. WOW! It doesn't get any better than this...I wouldn't trade it for anything... not even granola in a box.